| Chaos In the Old World |
[Jul. 10th, 2009|08:51 am] |
I really can't wait for this board game to come out. Sadly still not up for pre-order anywhere I can see.
Anyway, if you don't know what I'm talking about follow damnation to here.
Tzeentch for the win! |
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| Dropping off the face of the Earth |
[Jun. 29th, 2009|05:59 am] |
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Will be internet-less from the end of tomorrow. Expect delays on getting back to LJ comments/emails etc. That is all. Oh, and I hate packing. |
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| Words Meme |
[Jun. 25th, 2009|10:15 pm] |
Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.
tour guiding :)
I originally thought of answering this in interpretive dance form, but it sadly doesn't translate that well to the internet. Anyway, I'm the kind of guy who volunteers for stuff like this, which is how I met Clare properly. I used to do it for my old school, for the University, and I occasionally do it at IBM Hursley. Which brings us to...
IBM
which is where I work and, thanks to a quirk of scheduling events, I spend around 9-10 hours a day there. This will probably come back down to something more sane later this year. As my livelihood, obviously important to me. I work on a product practically none of you will have heard of called Websphere Voice Response, which is middleware, which is computer business slang for software that glues things together and lets people write stuff on top of in a collaborative effort. Which brings us to...
roleplay
, an activity of collaborative effort towards a story or just having fun with friends. Mostly about the story, or looking really cool whilst doing it. Poetry and related rhyming things are a useful skill to evoke the feel of prophesy or simply epic storytelling. Occasionally jokes and silly puns can just as much fun as the plot, which brings us to...
word play
I'm the greatest fan of the pun
And rhymes of all types are all fun
From Haiku to poem
People who know 'em
Can enjoy words till they're done.
I am lyrical
My talents are mystical
Which brings us on to
thoughtfulness
I overthink things. Usually to the point where it's too late to act in any given situation. I guess I just can't switch off. Still, all things in moderation are good. In the end, I can comfort myself with the fact that I'm willing to help people and teach people things. Which would bring us back round to tour guides, but I'm going to (break;) here instead.
Anyways, any takers for words?
Also - I shall be moving house on the 30th. I will be non-work internet deprived from that point for a while, and on holiday from the 17th July to the end of July. so forgive me if my response to this is sluggish |
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| Election Results |
[Jun. 8th, 2009|07:11 am] |
Dear British Electorate,
You are a bunch of morons who should seriously consider whether suicide is really such a bad option.
UK Total MEP Seats | | Votes | MEPs | | Party | % | +/- % | Total | +/- | | CON | 28.6 | 1.2 | 24 | 1 | | UKIP | 17.4 | 0.5 | 13 | 1 | | LAB | 15.3 | -7.0 | 11 | -5 | | LD | 13.9 | -1.1 | 10 | 1 | | GRN | 8.7 | 2.5 | 2 | 0 | | BNP | 6.5 | 1.4 | 2 | 2 | | PC | 0.9 | -0.1 | 1 | 0 | | SNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | SSP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | OTH | 8.6 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 | 63 of 69 seats declared.
Result excludes Northern Ireland |
I mean, fair enough on the Conservatives and Labour. At least they've shown themselves not completely incompetent. But MORE VOTES FOR UKIP THAN LABOUR OR THE LIB DEMS ?!? This is a position for which UKIP will do nothing but oppose the EU ever doing anything. And they're UKIP FFS.
Oh, and equal seats for the BNP and the Green Party? To quote from a favourite book of mine:
"And its no good blaming the drop in work standards on and management either... though to be sure, the management is very bad. In fact, let us not mince words... The Management is terrible! We've had a string of embezzelers, frauds, liars and lunatics making a string of catastrophic decisions. This is plain fact. But who elected them? It was you! You who elected these people! You who gave them the power to make your decisions for you! While I'll admit that anyone can make a mistake once, to go on making the same lethal errors century after century seems to me nothing short of deliberate. You have encouraged these malicious incompetents, who have made your working life a shambles. You have accepted without question their senseless orders. You have allowed them to fill your workspace with dangerous and unproven machines. You could have stopped them. All you had to say was "No". You have no spine. You have no pride. You are no longer an asset to the company."
Yours with saddened cynicism,
Nick
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| Coraline |
[May. 24th, 2009|10:38 am] |
Went to see this last Tuesday, in an insane attempt to both see a film and run a roleplaying game after work (this was successful, though I ended up having Pick and Mix for dinner).
Anyway, I highly recommend it. The story is still Neil Gaiman's book, with some additions and extensions to make it work better as a film format. I have a couple of criticisms - firstly, the cutesy "everything's great" part of the film lasts a little too long for me, though I suppose it makes it all the more creepy when it all shifts. The second, and more serious, criticism would be the speech that Coraline makes in the book about getting everything you want not being what we really want is cut, which was one of the things I loved about it.
But none of this is enough to ruin the Tim Burton stop-animation style, the quirkiness, Dakota Fanning (of Taken fame) as Coraline, French and Saunders as the retired actresses, the sheer hauntiness of the cat and the creepy eventual nature of the other mother.
See if you like: Neverwhere, other worlds stories, anything by Tim Burton, mouse circuses, monsters apologises as they attack |
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| Scrubs Season 8 |
[May. 23rd, 2009|10:57 am] |
So, after considering myself insane for watching the fourth season of HIMYM, I decided to deal with the unfinished business of my downloads folder. With season seven of scrubs being cut short by the writer's strike, we got a proper send off with this series. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the series brings itself to a conclusion properly.
I guess in the end it's all been about the drama of the life that J.D. leads, and the series can only really end with an end to the drama in his life and a start to the life that is perfect. Or at least perfect enough. I like to escape with fantasies because in many ways I'm too scared to try and build connections with people. I don't trust myself enough to be the person that can charm and get what he wants. All I can do is be the guy you can rely on to try and fix something.
I guess there are worse things to be. |
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| What the Hell Is Wrong With Me? |
[May. 22nd, 2009|08:12 am] |
Time started to download first episode of How I Met Your Mother, Season Four: 5:30 last night after assembling brother's computer.
Time finished watching 24th episode: 7:44 this morning.
OK, so 20 not 40 minute episodes, but still, there is something very wrong with my reasoning when it comes to stuff like this. |
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| So Long And Thanks For All The Fish (Reprise) |
[May. 21st, 2009|06:15 pm] |
THE RULES:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Mr. Punch
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Beat a Drum (or going by the lyrics, halfway from coal halfway to diamond)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Here Without You
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I Can't Tell You Why
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Somewhere in-between
WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Way Back Into Love
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Uranus, the Magician
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Cousin Jack
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
The Sound Of Fear
WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Evenstar
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Shiver
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Sunburn
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Lightnin' Hopkins
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Again And Again
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
If I Can't Change Your Mind
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Last Of The Big Town Drinkers
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
One Hundred Things You Should Have Done In Bed
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Susan's House
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Rockstar
WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jolity
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
So Long And Thanks For All The Fish (Reprise)
Bonus points if you can identify the artists! |
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| Caring Continuum |
[May. 20th, 2009|12:56 pm] |
This sums up my feelings on "I could care less" vs "I couldn't care less", the British version being the one that makes some sense
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| Working on a railroad |
[May. 15th, 2009|08:37 am] |
This song's been in my head for weeks despite having not heard it for ages. For your appreciation |
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| Aaaand suddenly we're all done |
[May. 14th, 2009|08:39 am] |
I must say I'm impressed by the simultaneous end of American TV for the summer. All of the remaining series I was watching, regardless of when they started, finished over the past week (Dollhouse, Castle and Lost for those counting).
I must confess I find myself wondering what American TV does at this point. Are there no shows scheduled over the summer? Are there so many sporting events it's not worth competing? Or do actors just want a break over the summer? Writers a break from writing?
In any case, my download schedule shall sit empty, hungrily awaiting the Autumn to download new series. I shall have more time, probably spent writing roleplaying campaigns, reading and swimming (I have decided I need to exercise more and jogging was doing my knees in, so this seems a good alternative)
On the subject of Dollhouse - I really enjoyed the ending, and the sense of closure I got from it. I'm not sure another series would be made, and I'm not certain I want there to be - I just don't see there being many more stories to explore there.
On the bright side, I won't be going through as bad an internet deprivation process when I move house at the end of June
Nick
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| PHP and $_GET |
[May. 11th, 2009|01:52 pm] |
Extremely weird bug - if you send a GET request like the following:
.../fetchparam.php?session.id=someValue&inputFile=someOtherValue
Then PHP gets two variables in $_GET as expected - but NOT as expected, they are
inputFile = someOtherValue and
session_id = someValue
WTF? What's worse is that if you instead use the URL
.../fetchparam.php?session.id=someValue&inputFile=someOtherValue&session_id=blah
session_id comes out blah, and the value of session.id is lost!
So I guess the lesson here is to not use dots in HTML variable names
Nick |
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